


Wanted

by Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer



Series: Malcolm Bright In DC [2]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Bisexual Malcolm Bright, Crush at First Sight, Drinking, FBI Agent Malcolm Bright, Falling In Love, First Love, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Idiots in Love, Love at First Sight, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:00:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29521932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer/pseuds/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer
Summary: The man at his half-boss, half-partner's side immediately stepped forward to offer him his hand, before Malcolm had even gotten to his feet completely, and he couldn't help but feel somewhat delighted as he reached his own hand out to take it. "You can just call me Eli. I've heard a bit about you, Mr. Bright."
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Eli Smith, Malcolm Bright/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Malcolm Bright In DC [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075061
Comments: 10
Kudos: 13





	Wanted

"Special Agent Bright, I'd like you to meet Special Agent Smith."

Malcolm let out a quiet hum, a polite smile already forming on his face as he lifted his gaze. Koll had already warned him beforehand that he was to treat the new arrivals with courtesy when they arrived - though honestly, when was he ever not polite? - and while he didn't think he needed the reminder, he still did his best to put on a more-or-less over-exaggeratedly gracious smile on his face and pushed himself to his feet gracefully. The man at his half-boss, half-partner's side immediately stepped forward to offer him his hand, before Malcolm had even gotten to his feet completely, and he couldn't help but feel somewhat delighted as he reached his own hand out to take it. "You can just call me Eli. I've heard a bit about you, Mr. Bright."

The first part of that second sentence nearly made him flinch away, hand twitching as he nearly pulled away from the other man, but relief and gratitude very quickly replaced the sparkle of fear that instinctively burst to life in his chest. Eli's smile was nothing but kind, green eyes glimmering with nothing but warmth, and he allowed himself to relax. "Please, call me Malcolm."

Eli practically lit up then, offering him a grin that showed off his dimples briefly, and Malcolm felt whatever fear or tension that was left melt away all at once. "So you're an FBI profiler, right?"

"Oh, I am _the_ FBI profiler," Malcolm joked, pulling back. Koll let out a brief huff, and he was quick to back down again, allowing his smile to falter just the slightest bit. Eli seemed to notice, since his own smile was quick to fade, a flicker of concern briefly passing across his face as he flicked his gaze across Malcolm's face carefully, meeting his gaze once more before turning his attention back to their boss. Malcolm was a little slower to follow his gaze than he expected.

"We leave in five, Bright," Koll mumbled, brushing past them.

Malcolm took a breath and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Leave?" Eli asked curiously only once Koll was a good distance away, though Malcolm kept his gaze on the man's back, watching carefully until he disappeared, before he dared to look away.

"Oh, yeah. We're investigating an old cold case in New Jersey," he explained, rocking back and forth on his feet a little excitedly before quickly remembering to go still again. Five years and he still had to force himself to try and act somewhat 'normal'. He'd trained himself (well, Koll had trained him) not to fidget too much in his partner's presence, but it was easy to slip around other people, especially considering that nowadays, considering he didn't have any friends, interactions with other people came very rare for him. Malcolm took a breath, tucking his hands in his pockets and shooting Eli a bright smile. "Nothing exciting, honestly. Just sitting on a plane for an hour, and Koll's probably just gonna put me on a leash outside while he works."

Eli laughed a little and leaned back, looking amused. "Yeah, he seems… uh… nice."

"Eh," Malcolm chuckled, allowing a grin to flit across his face briefly. "He's an… acquired taste."

Eli snorted suddenly, eyes lighting up briefly, and Malcolm was only confused for a second before the man laughed and clarified quickly, "sorry, it's just, uh - he said the same about you."

Malcolm raised his eyebrows and tried to stifle the hurt that pinched his chest tight. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Eli shook his head and smiled. "I think he was wrong, though."

Malcolm blinked at that, feeling his grin widen just a little bit without his permission as he stared back at the man, studying his expression curiously. He saw nothing but sincerity reflected in his eyes, genuine warmth and friendliness that Malcolm honestly hadn't seen from much of anyone in about a year now. Whatever friends and family he'd had were back in New York now, and after his last visit, after everything that had happened _here_ , Malcolm had decided to keep his visits there to a minimum. As surprising as the friendliness Eli was offering him so easily was, Malcolm wasn't going to question it; despite knowing how easily it could change, he'd welcome it with open arms in an instant if it meant he was finally doing something right. "Good to know."

"Too bad I can't go with you." Eli huffed out a chuckle and rubbed a hand over his face, gesturing briefly toward the rest of the precinct, but Malcolm found he couldn't quite move his gaze from the man just yet. He noticed a few things, like the way the light hit his eyes, light green and sparkling like emeralds, the way his eyes bounced as his grin widened, alight with amusement as he spoke, "but I've gotta be here to greet the other two, since they're late."

Malcolm blinked a few times, having almost forgotten they were expecting two new agents. His smile eased a little bit, eyebrows creasing together. He wondered if they'd be as quick to warm up to him as Eli had. Was he doing something right, finally behaving normal like he wanted, or was this just a one time thing? Would it even last? The man took a deep breath, unsurprised by how easily his anxiety had returned, but somewhat dismayed that such a great moment had been ruined. For a second, he was excited. For a second, he thought he'd made a friend - and then he remembered, all too quickly, that his friends never lasted. "Well, like I said, nothing too exciting is happening. We're probably not even staying that long," he admitted, stuffing his hands in his pockets and resisting the urge to shuffle his feet, suddenly feeling like too much energy had pinched up inside of him, suddenly feeling like he just needed to run it all off.

Eli cracked a smile and opened his mouth.

"Bright!"

Malcolm flinched a little despite himself, startled, and whipped his head around briefly to look back, immediately turning his body toward the door and stepping back. "Ah- yeah, I gotta…"

"No problem," Eli assured warmly. "See you when you get back. Good luck."

"You too." Malcolm managed to shoot him a smile, grabbing his gun again and heading off.

* * *

Needless to say, he was more than exhausted by the time they got back from Jersey. To his surprise, Koll had actually let him do his thing - for the most part. More or less he just left Malcolm alone to take the lead, which he didn't really mind. He was able to work a lot more efficiently than he would have if Koll was breathing down his neck. So he was exhausted when they got back to DC, but content. They'd caught the killer - a case that had been closed for nearly ten years, only recently reopening when the murders had started up again, though by that time almost everyone had forgotten about the serial killer. Malcolm was rather satisfied with how things had gone, and now he wanted nothing more than to get to his apartment and celebrate on his own. Koll wasn't one for victory drinks, and Malcolm usually tried to avoid drinking alcohol because of his medications, but he thought tonight he'd open a bottle of champagne. There wouldn't be too much harm in it; he certainly wasn't sleeping tonight, so…

They stopped by the precinct so that Koll could put his things away, and while he was slightly surprised when his boss offered to give him a ride to his apartment, he was quick to agree regardless - he wasn't going to turn that down. So he sat in the car while Koll went inside, scrolling aimlessly through his new phone, until a sudden knock on the window made him jump.

He looked up to see Eli standing there, and once he recovered enough to move, he rolled the window down curiously so the man could lean in to speak to him. "Wanna go get a drink?" Malcolm startled, staring at him. He couldn't remember the last time someone asked him out for a drink - actually, he couldn't even remember the _first_ time. Eli only laughed at the surprised look on his face, and urged, "come on, I'm sure you could use it after almost a week in Jersey with Koll. Or if you're not a drinker, that's fine, Shirley Temples are great. Just let me buy you something. Let's celebrate." His smile was wide, eyes bright with excitement, and Malcolm…

… Malcolm couldn't remember a time when anyone except his own family had been so eager to spend time with him. Had actually _wanted_ him around. This was new. This was… interesting.

He stared at Eli for a moment, fascinated, then nodded. "Okay."

Eli grinned and pulled back so he could open the door, getting out. "Awesome."

Malcolm couldn't keep the smile off his face despite himself as he followed the other man to his car, sliding into the passenger seat and buckling in while Eli started the car. He was silent for a moment, surprising even himself with how easy it was to relax around him. This was a man he didn't know, and who didn't know him, but there was just something about the genuine warmth in his eyes, the sincere smile on his face, that drew him in. It was different. It was intoxicating.

"So…" He paused, glancing over at Eli. "New guys settling in well?"

"Oh, yeah." Eli huffed out a laugh. "Actually, I went to school with one of them, can you believe that? Victor Staff. The new chick is something else, too, by the way. Kharis Lambros or something. Just a heads up, she's a little bit scary," he added quickly, rolling his eyes briefly. "And uh, don't tell him I said this, I like him and all, but I don't think Staff's too uh… bright."

"Oh boy." Malcolm chuckled, leaning his head back. "Can't wait to go in tomorrow."

"Right," Eli mused, grinning. "Could be worse, though. Could be like Koll."

Malcolm stared out the window for a moment, contemplating that, then smiled and ducked his head a little, briefly reaching up to fuss with his tie before forcing himself to stop. "Impossible."

"One of a kind, huh?"

He smirked, glancing at Eli through his lashes. "You could say that."

Eli offered a crooked grin in his direction before looking back at the road again, eyes sparkling.

It had been a long time since he'd felt like this.

Like he wasn't a burden.

Like he was _wanted_.

And god, was he addicted to that feeling.

* * *

That night was champagne and wine and lights and music and laughter. Malcolm couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed so freely. After only a few drinks, though, he found himself opening up, found himself slipping into the world he'd convinced himself he didn't fit into. With a few words, Eli could bring a huge, beaming smile to his face that he couldn't stifle no matter how many times he bit his tongue or ducked his head to hide it. He could make him laugh like he hadn't in years, genuine and heavy until he felt like he was going to throw up, until tears sprang to his eyes from laughing so hard. He made him feel warm and happy and normal for the first time in his life, made him feel like his piece had finally snapped into place in the world's puzzle.

That night was excitement and adrenaline.

That night, for the first time, he actually felt like someone new. Like Malcolm _Bright._

By the time it was over, as Eli drove him back to his apartment, Malcolm was settled warm and content in his seat, eyes shut as he leaned his head back against the headrest and let the lull of the engine carry him away. He didn't mean to start drifting off, to lose himself, but he did.

He woke surprisingly calm, not from a nightmare, but drifting back to reality gently, peacefully.

Eli was still beside him. The engine was cut now, the car sitting still in the parking lot while the man scrolled through his phone. He looked up when Malcolm stirred and lifted his head, blinking a few times and struggling to remember where he was. It didn't take that long, thankfully, and by the time he had, Eli had sat himself up completely and offered him a warm, comforting smile that immediately had him relaxing. "Hey, uh- sorry, I wasn't sure if I should wake you or not. And I noticed you looked kinda tired when you got back so I figured I'd just sit and let you sleep."

"Uh…" Malcolm shook his head a little and managed a smile, blinking. "Thanks."

"Of course," Eli replied softly, jutting his chin toward the windshield. "You good to go in?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Malcolm chuckled, but he didn't make any move to leave yet. He lifted himself up from the seat a little, leaning forward, but he slumped back again after a second with a soft sigh. He stayed still for a moment, staring out toward the apartment. He'd been so willing to just go home and be alone tonight, and yet, now, it was the last thing he wanted to do. "... yeah…"

Eli leaned his head back, looking at him for a moment, then murmured, "Malcolm?"

"Mmhm?"

Eli's voice was quiet, intent. "You wanna come back to my place?"

A beat of silence passed. Malcolm felt his heart lift and sink all at once.

He stared at Eli for a moment, studying the desire glittering behind his green eyes, no longer bright like emeralds, but dark like pine trees in the dim light. He wanted him. He _wanted_ him.

And Malcolm _never_ wanted him to stop looking at him like that.

"Definitely," he whispered.


End file.
